Iowa Casino Visitor Taken to Jail, Meth Allegedly Falls from Her Clothes

Posted on: April 6, 2022, 10:00h. 

Last updated on: April 6, 2022, 11:34h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A 28-year-old Iowa woman faces two narcotics charges after a plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine fell from her clothes. Initially, she was arrested on unrelated warrants Saturday night while at the parking lot of Larchwood, Iowa’s Grand Falls Casino.

Iowa’s Grand Falls Casino, pictured above. A woman was arrested at the gaming property on Saturday. She later was found to have meth in her possession while getting checked into jail. (Image: Hotels.com)

A Lyon County Sheriff’s Office deputy was at the casino lot to investigate a suspicious parked vehicle. The driver, identified as Christine Larson of Sanborn, was found nearby. She was apprehended, and the deputy confirmed she had outstanding warrants for her arrest.

When initially arresting Larson, the deputy asked her if she had any illegal drugs or other controlled substances. He explained she was better to admit to them while at the casino lot because she would likely face a misdemeanor.

The deputy then transported Larson to a nearby jail. When she was getting processed and changed into inmate clothing, the plastic bag fell onto the floor. The bag’s contents later tested positive for meth, reported KIWA, an Iowa radio station.

Deputy Warns Suspect

But if they were found in a correctional facility, she would be charged with a more serious felony, the deputy warned Larson, KIWA reported. She repeatedly told the deputy she did not have any illegal drugs with her that day.

But after the bag of suspected meth dropped from her clothes, she was arrested on more serious charges. These were possession of contraband in a correctional institution and possession of a controlled substance, KICD, another Iowa radio station, said.

If Larson is convicted, she could be sentenced to five years in prison on the contraband charge. She could also be fined between $750 and $7,500, KIWA said.

Details on the initial warrants were not immediately available. The charges came from Iowa’s Clay and O’Brien counties, KICD reported.

Grand Falls Casino is owned by Elite Casino Resorts. The gaming property is approximately 12 miles east of Sioux Falls, Iowa.

Other Meth Arrests

In February 2021, a Georgia man was arrested on two federal narcotics charges. Nevada Highway Patrol troopers pulled his truck over on a highway near the Las Vegas Strip and seized about 74 pounds of suspected meth from a trailer.

Jaquavius Trishun Powell, 26, of Monroe, Ga., was charged with a single count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. If convicted, Powell faced between 10 years to life in prison.

The meth seized in Las Vegas had an estimated street value of about $237,000, federal sources told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It was not immediately known how the case was adjudicated.